Article revew #2

Garland, S. (2014, May 14).  What students really think about technology in the classroom.  Retrieved from http://hechingerreport.org/students-really-think-technology-classroom/

Summary

Sarah Garland takes on the challenge of interviewing students about using technology in the classroom.  She found that students have different opinions of online classes vs. a traditional classroom setting. 

Garland began interviewing students in a small town outside of Philadelphia.  Her interviews came to the conclusion that students may not like to use technology as much as the experts in educational fields believe. 

One of the drawbacks that students mentioned about online classes is the challenge of distractions.  Students thought that the classes would be easy to get through, and that they would be done rather quickly.  However, what they found was that they were falling behind or not doing as much work as they thought they would.  Students had trouble with the self-paced classroom. 

However, some students liked the concept of the open or cyber classroom.  Students said that in a lecture, it was difficult to get a professor to go back and repeat what was missed.  However, on a video series, it was simple for the students to stop a video, rewind, and understand the material in that manner.  Another student liked the “open world” of an online class compared to a textbook based classroom.

Garland concluded her interview with a mini debate that two students had about the topic.  One student argued that cyber courses were not as rigorous as a class that meets on a regular basis.  The student said that tests can be taken with the use of notes and that there was really no need to study.  This argument was countered with the idea that in the real world, nobody is watching over your shoulder to make sure you get the job done.  That it is up to you to make sure you know the information.  They also argued the social aspect of classes.  A concern is that students may not get the social interaction necessary if not meeting with a group of their peers.  The counter was that the students will get the necessary interaction on scheduled meeting days with the teacher.  A comment was also made that much of the social interaction in a regular classroom is negative and does not improve the student.

Reflection

I found this article to be an eye opener in terms of student thought on technology.  Since I began teaching, the concept of incorporating technology into the classroom has always been stressed.  Because of that push, I have always assumed that this is something the students would always enjoy.  However, some of the comments in this article led me to believe that this is not always something that the students want, or is it something that is always positive in education.  I do not like the idea of an online classroom for high school students.  I think that the students can get too distracted to fully appreciate the class that they are taking.  I feel that without the structure of a normal classroom, the student will rush to get through the work and not get all of the benefits the class can offer.  I also believe that the social interaction in a classroom is a necessity for the development of a high school and college student.  One must be able to listen to the ideas of their fellow students and to also have the opportunity to have their classmates give opinions on their beliefs as well.  So much of education is not just the topic being covered, but the ability to learn to deal with their peers as well.